Sweeper



Feb. 13, 1940. c, EVANS 2,189,859

' SWEEPER Filed March 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 13, 1940.

R. c. EVANS SWEEFER Fiied March 18, 1938 3 SheetS -Sheet 3 Patented Febr 1940 i swnnrim "Ronald Clement Evans, Elgin, 111., assignor toil-1" I i l t gin Sweeper Company, Elgin, 11]., a corporation q 1 A of Illinois Application"Marcl hld, ISJBS Serial p i-195,635

6Clai ns. (014154 A Q i This invention relates to street or floor sweeping apparatus, and more particularly tol'the dirtcollecting means thereof.

Many problems areencountered in the design 5 of street or floor sweeping apparatus; The many and varied elements of the apparatus must all effectively cooperate with each other, each performing its individual function eificiently to bring about a satisfactory machine. The most eflicient 10 sweepingbrush may be rendered-unsatisfactory by an inefficient collecting and storage means for receiving and transposing the swept up debris and dirt.

' It is thus an object of this inventionto provide novel means for receiving and transposing dirt and debris as it is swept up by a swee'pingbmsh and depositing the same in the interior of'a storage hopper. a 1 l f 1 Another object of this invention is to provide novel means for preventing undesired accumulations ofdirt and debris on the pick-up plate of the apparatus. I f

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel sweeping apparatus in which the dirt colvibrated. v

A still further object of this invention to provide a novel sweeping apparatus in which the lecting p an or hopper is periodically oscillated or dirt collecting pan or hopperis provided with l a pick-up plate or flippers which is periodically oscillated or flipped upwardly 'to preventan accumulation of dirt and debris thereon and to efiect a transposition of the dirt andfdebris into the dirt collecting pan or hopper.

'Anotherand further" object of my invention is to'provide a novel means forperiodically oscillating the dirt collecting pan or the pick-upplate of a street sweeping apparatus. i

Another and still further object of this inven- 40 tion is to provide anovel improvementinstre'et tionitself, however, both as to itsconstruction and its particular organization; together "with further objects and advantages thereof, may best 5 be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in 1 connection with the accom panying'drawings in which? T Figure '51 is an elevational view of a, street sweeping apparatus; Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational viewlof the manner well known to those skilled in thelartr centralgportion :offthe apparatus" illustrated in Figure ;1 but with certain elements, removed for the purpose bf illustrating"the hopper, the pickup plate and the *nfieans for periodically oscillating the pick-up plate to effect atranspositionpf dirt 5 and other debris'froni'the pick upjplate,to the opp r? Figure 3,is across-sectional fragmentary end view of "Tithe "apparatus taken along y the lines I 'F e e' f Figure 4 is a fr'aginentary plan viewjpartlyin emsg seenpn, taken along the lineIV-e-IV of Figure2;and .f

Figure 5 isanelevational view of a modified formofiny 'inventionin which the hopper itself p is" periodically 'oscillatedtol efiect a transposition of dirt and debris fromitsjDick-up edge to the 'opposite endo'f the hopper-i The street sweeping apparatus illustrated; in Figure 'l'fdf theg'drawingsis inounted on a motor driven vehicle I 0 ithe principal elements of the sweeping apparatus being a rotary broom or brush I If and a um coneewr pan' or hopper answer associated operating mechanism.

Althougl j the structural fer r the vehicle upon which the sw'eeping"-appamtus is mounted may vary within wide limits without departing from the spirit andfscopefof the present invention; vehicle ll1"hasbeen illustrated as a three wheel chassis having" twofr ont wheels l3 and a Q a single pivotallyfinountedj rear wheel I14. Eront wheels it? are the driving 'vvheels of the vehicle 10 and are mounted onanjaxle l5 which iscarried I byaxlefsupport plates I51) Tlie si ngle rear wheel 14 is mounted 'on 'an axle lTayoke assembly vehicle I Q for steering the same. I

Tne; motor f om which power isderiVed. to propel the vehicle and tofoperate the sweeping apparatuscarrid therebyrnay be of anysuitable ,typegsuch for example, ,asfa gasoline motor. This notoris illustrated diagrammaticallyin the 18' which is pivotally mountedlatgtherear of the l drawingjsiby showing thefrnotor hood I!) at. the

rear of the chassis llland the-usual vehicle radiator 20,; Power froni theinotor [is transn itted 4 through s awn drive shafts mounted. within thefd'rive shaft housings 2| to bevel gear power,

' take offs 22. "A chain 1 drive 23 from each power take off 22 to thetfront. wheels I3 is provided in a yoke ass mbl fifix Mounted'on the rvehicle i0 5 immediately behind the steering wheel 24 is a drivers or operators seat 25.

The sweeping apparatus mounted on chassis includes a rotary broom or brush l I, which sweeps the streets by lifting the dirt and light debris thereofi. Brush I! is mounted in suitable bearings 26 carried at the lower ends of a pair of" broom arms 21,,the broom arms 21 beingpivotally mounted on supporting brackets 28 extending from the underside of chassis l B. A flexible cable or chain 29 connected at one end to the lower end of the arm 21 and at the other end to the chassis l0 limits the extent to which the brush H may be lowered. I

A second flexible chain or cable 3i! connected to one of the arms 21 as at 3L passed over a'suitable sheave 32, and is then fastened at its upper end to the lowerend 3310f a broom control lever 34. The lower end 33 of the broom control lever 3 is formed substantially in the shape of a" quadrant of a circle. The ends of the flexible chain or cable 30, being connected to this quadrant at a point remote from the sheave 32. The

outer curved edge of the quadrant 33 is channeled to permit the chain 3llto ride therein.

. manner, such as by means of a chain drive 35,

it being understood that the movement'of the brush II is counterclockwise asviewed in Figures land2ofthedrawingsQ Counterclockwise rotation of the'brush, I I as viewed in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings throws the dirt and other debrison'the street forwardly andupwardly. The dirt collectingpan or hopper I2 is mounted and arranged to catch the dirt and debris as itis thrown up;by the brush I I. Two supportingfarms or brackets 36- mounted on opposite sides of chassis l6 and extending downwardly therefrom provide the desired supporting structure for the hopper 12.; The brackets 36 are formed with a principal downwardly extending portion 31 and a lower obliquely forwardly extending portion 38. The hopper 12 is pivotally mounted to the lower endof the brackets 36 as at 39, and is 1 designed to move from the full line position in Figure 2 to the dotted line position in Figure 2 under certain circumstances presently to bedescribed. Hinged to-the lower rear edge of the hopper I2 is a movable pick-up plate it-having side walls 40' which telescope with the sidewalls of hopper l2. The pick-up plate 40 is rigidly secured toa hinge rod 4| which'is rotatably mounted along the'lower rear edge of thehopper l2, While during normal operationof the sweeping apparatus,' dirt and other debris is thrown .by the rotating brush II into the hopper l2,'there is a tendency for the dirt and debris to accumulate on the pick-up plate, the pick-up plate ill being designed tocatch dirt and debris which is not thrown far enough by the brush H to. reach the hopper l2. 'As will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, it this, dirt and debris which accumulates on the pick-up plate is not transposed" to the interior of the hopper l2, the

sweeping action of the apparatus will, soon: be-

come inefiective. It is, therefore, highly desirable that some means be provided for transposing the dirt and debris which accumulates on the pick-up plate 49 into the interior of the hopper is rigidly secured, is provided witha crank arm 42. This'crank arm 42 is connected to an actuating arm 43 by a slot and pin connection 44 and 45' respectively. The actuating rod 43 is carried 'on one side of the hopper 12 by two suitable supporting brackets '44, the brackets 44 being designed and arranged'to permit limited longitudinal movement of the actuating rod 43 therein. Ahelical compression spring 45 surrounding the actuating rod 43 extends between the rear bracket and a stop pin 45 carried on the actuating rod 43. This compression spring 45 biases the pick-up plate to-its lowermost position, asecond stop pin 47 at the forward end of the actuating rod 43 being provided to limit the rearward movement of the actuating rod 43 and hence the downward movement of the pick-up plate 40'.

v The cam mechanism which provides the periodic actuation of the pick-up plate 40 includes a rotating-cam 48, which is preferably of the Wiper or involute type such as is illustrated in Figure 2of the drawings, and a roller bar 49 mountedon the actuating rod 43. The cam 68 is secured to a stub shaft 50 which is journalled in asuitable bearingor aperture 5! located at an intermediate, portion of one of the support-v ing brackets 36. Sprocket gear 52 (see Figure 4) is also secured to the stub shaft 50'which is journalled-in asuitable bearing or aperture 5| located at, an intermediate portion of one of the supporting brackets 36. Sprocket gear 52 (see Figure 4) is also secured to the stubshaft 50, a key 53 being provided to prevent movement of the sprocket gear 52 and the cam 48 on the shaft 5!]. A chain drive 54 connects the sprocket wheel 52 of the cam mechanism to the power take-oh 22 seat '55 during forward movement of the vehicle, it being understood that the connection is such that counterclockwise rotation of the cam 48 is obtained during suchforward movement of the'vehicle;

Aswill readily be apparent from a close inspection of the various figures of the drawings, the cam 48 ,moves-the actuating rod 43 to the right during a small fraction of each revolution of the stub shaft 50. This particular type of cam action is well known in the art and for that reason will not be described in further detail. It is apparent that when this type of cam action is employed-, the pick up plate Ali-is given a quick upward movement during a fractional portion of each revolution of the sprocket wheel'52. During the remaining period of each revolution the pick-up plate 40. is heldtin its lower position by the (biasing spring 45. This periodicupward movement of the pick-up plate 40 prevents an accumulation of dirt'and other debris on the pickup plate andeff'ects atransposition of such dirt and debristo the interior of the hopper I2.

Means must,of course, be provided for dumping the dirt and debris from the hopper l2 after it becomes full. Such means may be conveniently provided by hinging the front end 55 of hopper l2"at'the'topas'at 51. vA flexible chain or cable the lower end of a dumping lever 6|, the; lower end 62 of the dumping lever 6lbeing formed, in a manner similar to the lower end .33"0fithe broom lever 34. When the. dumping lever'6lis in the position'shown inFigure's land 2-.of the drawings, the hopper I2 is in its normal operating position. When the lever 6| is moved to the right, as viewed in the drawings, the, flexible cable or chain 58 lifts the hopper l2 upwardly about the pivot point 39. This upward move ment of the left'side of the hopper l2 effects an opening of the end wall 56 due to gravity-and the dirt and debris falls out. After the sweeping apparatus has been removed from the point at which the dirt anddebris was dumped, the hopper I2 is lowered by moving the dumping lever 6| back to its position as shown in Figures "1 and 2. The end wall 56 then closes automatically du'e to its own gravity pull and remains closedfso long as the hopper I2 is maintained in its, normal operating position. I

In Figure 5 of the drawings, I have illustrated a modified form of my invention in which the hopper itself of the sweeping apparatus'is period'- ically oscillated rather than periodically oscillating the pick-up plate. Referring nowto Figure 5 of the drawings, ahopper 63 is provided which is pivotally supported from the chassis I 6 of the sweeping apparatus by means of a pair of support brackets 64. Support brackets 64 are somewhat similar to the support brackets 36 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the exception that the lower ends 65 of the brackets 64 extend slightly rearwardly rather than forwardly. The hopper 63 is joumalled in suitable bearings or apertures 66 at the lower end of the end portion 65 of brackets 64 by means of a hinge or supporting rod 61 which is rigidly I secured thereto. A crank arm 68 is also tightly secured to the supporting rod 61 and carries a roller bar 69 at its upper end for engagement with a rotatable cam 1!]. Cam 16 is mounted on one of the supporting brackets 64 in a manner similar to that described in'connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention and is connected by a chain drive (not shown) as was also described in connectionwith the preferred embodiment of the invention. As will readily be understood from an inspection of Figure 5 of the, drawings, the hopper 63 is periodically oscillated from the full line position as shown in Figure 5 to the dotted line position as shown therein by virtue of engagement of the cam 10 with the roller bar 69 on crank arm 68. The end wall H of the hopper 63 is hinged at its top as at 12 and is provided at its lower end with a latch 13 to prevent an opening of the end wall during the operation of the hopper 63. i

The periodic actuation or oscillation of the hopper 63 prevents an accumulation of dirt and debris along the rear edge of the hopper opposite the brush of the sweeping apparatus and eiiects a transposition of the dirt and debris to a central position or opposite end of the hopper. It will thus be understood that the present invention provides a simple and efficient way of preventing undesired accumulation of dirt and debris along the edge of the hopper which isdisposed adjacent the rotary broom of a street sweeping.

apparatus. 1

The dirt and debris may be dumped from hopper 63 by releasinglatch 13 and actuating the cam mechanism as for normal operation ,or a

box.

3 suitable dump'leverandfchain as-in Figurez may be providei z 1 *Although I have shown andvreferred to my preferred embodiment as beingofla size suitable for v sweeping streets, it is tobe understood that the invention is" particularlyv well suited for use in connectionwwith muchsmaller equipment such asmay beiem'ployed -within-buildings for sweep; ing'floors. 1

Although I- have shownrparticular .rembodi ments 'of my invention it will, of coursejbe'une' der'stoo'd that I do not wish to be limited thereto; since many other modifications fmay :be made, and I therefore contemplatedby the appended claims to' cover iall suchmodificatioris asffall within the'true spirit and scope ofmy invention. l claimasmyinventionz I 1. In 'a' power driven street sweeping'apparatus including a-bru'sh for sweeping up dirt} debris; and thelike, close to a surface being swept'and axprime mover for actuating 'said brush, a dirt storage box with an open endarranged in' the rear of, adjacent, an'd iacing directly the "dis charge'side "of Y the brush and into which dirt" is sweptdirectly from 'and by said brush, said-box being tiltable and having scoop means at said open end in which {particles of said dirtand debris may accumulateg-"and "means intermit' tentlyoperable by'said'prime mover to tilt" said scoop means rearwardly to flip any accumulated dirt thereon directly into and toward the back of the box. j a

2. In a power driven street sweeping apparatus including a brush for sweeping up dirt, debris, and the like, close to a surface being swept and a prime mover for actuating, said brush, a dirt storage box with an open end arranged in the rear of, adjacent, and facing directly the discharge side of the brush and into which dirt is swept directly from and by said brush, said box being tiltable and having scoop means at said a primemover for actuating said brush, a dirt storage box with an open end arranged in the rear of, adjacent, and facing directly the dis- 6 charge side of the brush and into which dirt is swept directly from and by said brush, said box having scoop means at said open end in which particles of said dirt and debris may accumulate,

. and means operable by said prime mover to tilt said scoop means rearwardly to flip any accumulated dirt thereon directly into and toward the back of the box, said scoop means comprising an integral downwardly curved lip on the forward lower edge of said box, and said tilting means being connected to an intermediate portion of said box to efiect a tilting of said scoop means through the rearward tilting of the entire 4. In a power driven street sweeping apparatus including a brush for sweeping up dirt, debris,

and the like, close to a surface being swept and charge side of the brush and into which dirt is swept, directly from and by said brush, 'said'box being tiltable and vhaving scoop means tiltable by said prime mover and disposed at said-open end and in which particles of said dirt" and debris may accumulate, and means operative'ly connected to'said prime mover for tilting said box and for intermittently tilting said scoop means rearwardly to'fiip any accumulated dirt thereon directly into and toward the back of the box,-s'aid meansiincluding a pivo'tedsupport for the box disposed between the ends of the'box.

' 5. In a power driven street-sweeping apparatus including a brush for sweeping up dirt, debris, and'the like, close to a surface being swept and a prime mover for actuating said brush, a dirt storage box with an open end arranged in the rear of, adjacent, and facing directly the discharge side of the brush and into which dirt is swept directly from and by said brush, saidbox being tiltable and having scoop means at said open end in which particles of dirt and debris may accumulate, means intermittently operable by said pi'ime m'over'to tilt said scoop means 'rearwardly to flip any accumulated dirt thereon directly into and toward the back of the box, and means for tiltably supporting said box whereby the rear end of said box'may be tilted downrear of, adjacent, and facing directly the diswardlyfandsaid box having a movable closure at its 'rear end arrangedto be opened when it is desired to empty the tilted box.

6.In a power driven street sweeping apparatus including a brush for sweeping up dirt, debris, and the like, close to-a surface being swept and a prime mover for actuating said brush, a dirt storage box with an open end arranged in the rear of, adjacent, and facing directly the discharge side of the brush and into which dirt is swept directly from and by said brush, said box being tiltable and having scoop means at said open end in which particles of dirt and debris may accumulate, means intermittently operable bysaid" prime mover to tilt said scoop means rearwardly to flip any accumulated dirt thereon directly into and toward the back of the box, and means for tiltably supporting said box whereby the rear end oi said box may be tilted downwardly, and said box having a movable closure at its rear end arranged to be opened when it is desired to empty the tilted box, said intermittently operable means including a cam mounted on said box supporting means and being arranged to tilt said scoop means without tilting said box. RONALD CLEMEN'I EVANS. 

